PERMANENT RESIDENCE

When most people think of Canadian immigration, they are thinking about permanent residence in Canada. Applications for permanent residence generally fall into the following categories: Family Class (spouses, dependent children and parents/grandparents), Economic Classes (Express Entry and Provincial Nominee Programs) and Refugees and Humanitarian and Compassionate applications.

When most people think of Canadian immigration, they are thinking about permanent residence in Canada, in one of the ten Provinces or three Territories.

There are three main programs to choose from: the family class and the economic class. Some applicants may apply while in Canada: refugees, humanitarian and compassionate applications, spouses of Canadians and people who are here on valid (temporary) work permits while their permanent residence applications are in process. Further details on these categories can be found below.

Family Class

If you are married to or in a common law relationship with a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, if you have a parent you wish to sponsor to come to Canada, or if you wish to adopt a child in another country, you may qualify for one of the Family Class categories.

Economic Classes

Provincial Nominee Programs

Each Canadian province has the ability to nominate immigrants with skills or circumstances the province values and needs. We serve the Atlantic region first-hand and New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland & Labrador have a number of excellent provincial nominee programs available.

Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program (AIPP)

The pilot helps employers in Atlantic Canada hire foreign skilled workers who want to immigrate to Atlantic Canada and international graduates who want to stay in Atlantic Canada after they graduate.

Express Entry

The Canadian government has been revamping the skilled worker categories over the past few years. The old skilled worker program was criticized for bringing in the best and brightest – even though their credentials may not be recognized in Canada. We ended up with the most highly educated taxi drivers in the world.

Currently, there are three federal skilled worker categories: Federal Skilled Workers, Federal Skilled Trades and Canada Experience Class. These are administered through the new Express Entry portal. Applicants first create a profile (and thereby enter “the Pool”), and that in turn provides a score. On a monthly (or so) basis, IRCC issues Invitations to Apply (ITA) to those ranked highest. Anyone with a LMIA-based job offer is guaranteed to be issued an ITA, assuming they meet the other criteria.

In order to enter the Pool, you must have at least 67 points and both a credential assessment and a language test. At the ITA stage, you will need the medical and police checks, along with the rest of the actual permanent residence forms and supporting documents.

Note that the Express Entry profile creation can be tricky due to the initial scoring to enter the Pool and the way certain occupations are coded under the NOC (National Occupation Classification), in addition to other system requirements which are less than intuitive. We are happy to assist with the profile creation and/or the application process.